F 
610 


TUCSON,  ARIZONA 


CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


v  v  c/'  *-y — 

0 

University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


Issued    by    tHe 

CHamber  of  Commerce 

Txicson,   Arizona 


ABOUT  THE  UNIVERSITY 


TUCSON,  ARIZONA. 

By  ROCHESTER  FORD. 

>UCSON  lays  claim  to  being  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the 
United  States,  ranking  as  to  age  next  after  San  Augustine,  Florida, 
and  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  Its  history  can  be  traced  back  to 
1649,  when  a  military  station  was  established  by  the  Spaniards  to  protect 
the  Mission  of  San  Xavier.  The  merits  of  this  claim  of  long  descent  have 
been  called  in  question,  but  the  fact  [remains 
that  it  was  settled  at  a  very  earl}r  day,  and  its 
natural  advantages  are  such  that  it  was  always 
an  important  trading  point. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  Tucson 
was  almost  as  unknown  and  as  remote  from 
civilization  as  the  interior  of  Africa.  It  was 
indeed  a  frontier  town  in  all  that  those  words 
import. 

But  Tucson  now  is  as  different  from  Tucson 
in  its  frontier  stage  as  the  day  is  from  night, 
or  the  gorgeous  and  bespangled  butterfly  from 
the  chrysalis  or  grub.  That  period  of  her  his- 
tory which  might  be  termed  the  dark  ages  has 
passed.  Warfare  with  the  Apaches,  and  cruel- 
ties surpassing  any  tales  of  fiction,  are  among 
the  experiences  of  the  pioneers  who  are  still 
living,  but  to  the  new-comers  and  the  younger 
generation  all  this  seems  as  far  back  in  the 
past  as  the  myths  that  are  preserved  only  in 
folk-lore.  The  wild  west  is  to  be  seen  now 
only  on  the  stage  and  in  the  comic  papers. 
The  frontier  has  disappeared  with  the  buffalo, 
and  Tucson  is  one  of  the  most  modern,  progres- 
sive, prosperous  and  law-abiding  cities  to  be 
found  in  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
— one  which  offers  as  many  inducements  as 
could  be  expected  or  desired,  both  to  those  who 
wish  to  engage  in  active  business  for  the  profit 
there  is  in  it,  and  to  those  who  may  wish  to 
rest  and  regain  strength  in  a  climate  which  is, 
without  any  exception,  unequalled.  When  it  is 
known  that  Tucson  not  only  possesses  its 
matchless  climate,  but  is  also  one  of  the  best 
business  points  in  the  southwest,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  it  has  gone  ahead  by  leaps  and  bounds. 

Just  as  sometimes  in  the  large  cities  a  tract  of 
ground,  barren,  repelling,  covered  with  hovels 
and  surrounded  by  squalor,  is  taken  for  public 
use,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  the  houses 
are  removed,  the  streets  broadened,  graded  and 
paved,  and,  as  though  by  a  magician's  wand, 
the  land  itself  turned  into  a  park  or  boulevard 
of  entrancing  beauty — "a  wilderness  of  har- 
mony,"— delighting  the  eye  and  quickening  the  soul,  so  Tucson  in  the 
last  few  years  has  been  physically  re-created  and  beautified.  Adobe 
Reprinted  from  OUT  WEST  MAGAZINE  for  September,  1902. 


4  Txicson,    Arizona 

houses  have  been  pulled  down  to  give  place  to  substantial  brick  building's. 
Crooked  streets  have  been  made  straight  and  narrow  ones— no  matter  what 
the  expense— widened.  Elegant  residences  have  been  built  ;  trees^have 
been  planted  and  have  grown  in  countless  numbers,  and  private  lawns  and 
public  parks  refresh  the  eye. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  improvements  seem  due  to  the  natural  and 
permanent  advantages  which  Tucson  has  as  a  business  point.  The  city 
has  not  been  boomed  by  outsiders,  nor  is  its  progress  due  wholly  to  what 
is  termed  new  blood.  Local  capital  has  been  sufficient  for  increased  de- 
mands, and  the  men  who  have  lived  in  Tucson  from  the  early  day  are  fully 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  progress  and  have  been  the  most  important 
factors  in  the  march  of  improvement.  It  is  the  citizens  who  have  lived 
here  for  years  who  have  built  the  most  beautiful  and  costly  residences, 
who  conduct  the  largest  business  enterprises  and  who  have  been  most 
prominent  in  the  radical  changes  which  have  come  over  the  city. 


A  TUCSON  STREET  SCENE. 

This  seems  to  be  strong-  evidence  in  support  of  the  belief  that  Tucson  is 
an  excellent  commercial  point.  A  sudden  spurt  due  to  the  investment  of 
outside  capital  or  the  methods  of  those  who  make  it  a  business  to  boom 
one  place  after  another  would  be  temporary  and  deceptive,  but  a  steady 
and  constant  growth  from  within  gives  assurance  of  permanent  prosperity. 

Tucson  is  not  dependent  on  any  one  cause  for  her  stability,  and  therefore 
is  not  in  danger  of  seasons  of  depression.  Where  business  rests  mainly  on 
mining  operations,  for  instance,  or  on  the  success  of  one  product,  or  on  the 
water  supply  for  irrigation  purposes,  the  shutting  down  of  the  mines  or 
the  failure  of  the  crop  or  the  shortage  of  water  in  the  canals  will  result 
immediately  in  curtailed  business  and  hard  times  ;  but  Tucson  has  so 
many  resources  to  draw  from  that  its  volume  of  trade  cannot  in  any 
reasonable  probability  be  seriously  affected  for  any  great  length  of  time. 
Among  other  causes  of  advancement  is  the  fact  that  it  is  the  headquarters 
of  the  important  division  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company  from  El  Paso 
to  Yuma.  The  company  now  employs  600  men  at^Tucson,  and  these  figures 


Txicson,    Arizona  5 

will  be  increased  as  soon  as  the  extensive  enlargements  and  improvements 
already  decided  on  are  completed.  The  geographical  position  of  the  city 
is  such  as  to  make  it  the  headquarters  for  the  mining  and  cattle  industry  of 
Southern  Arizona.  It  is  the  great  distributing  point  not  only  for  a  large 
part  of  the  Territory,  but  for  much  of  northern  Sonora  as  well,  and  the 
tides  of  business  will  keep  it  what  it  has  always  been,  the  metropolis  of 
Arizona. 

The  population  according  to  the  best  estimates,  one  of  which  is  based 
on  the  fact  that  there  are  2,400  school  children  in  the  district,  is  between 
11,000  and  12,000.  Of  this  number,  perhaps  one  half  are  Mexicans.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  Tucson  is  strictly  an  American 
city.  By  this  is  meant  that  our  Mexican  friends  do  not  hold  themselves 
aloof,  but  are  as  wide  awake  in  the  march  of  progress  as  any  citizens  we 


THE  NEW  CARNEGIE  LIBRARY  AT  TUCSON. 

have.  No!  race  issues  are  raised,  and  the  Americans  and  Mexicans  freely 
intermingle  without  friction. 

Where '12,000  intelligent,  active  and  well-to-do  people  are  assembled,  as 
a" matter  of  course  there  will  be  the  agencies  necessary  for  supplying  their 
needs  and 'desires.  It  is  believed  that  Tucson  is  not  only  fully  abreast 
commercially  of  any  city  of  her  size,  but  even  in  the  lead  in  modern 
methods  and  instrumentalities. 

The  first  wealth  is  health,  and  a  pure  water  supply  is  of  paramount  im- 
portance. This  demand  is  met  in  the  waterworks  system  owned  and 
operated  by  the  municipality.  It  is  new  and  complete,  comprising  all 
necessary  features  of  pumps,  water-tower  or  stand-pipe,  mains,  etc. 

Hardly  second  in  practical  importance  to  the  well-being  of  a  city  is  its 
drainage  and  sewerage.  In  this,  also,  Tucson  meets  all  requirements.  An 
improved  sewer  system,  planned  by  eastern  experts  who  came  to  Tucson 
and  thoroughly  examined  local  conditions,  has  been  installed.  It,  like  the 
waterworks,  is  owned  and  operated  by  the  municipality,  so  that  the  people 
have  nothing  to  fear  either  from  the  neglect  or  extortion  of  a  private 
corporation. 

From  a  mention  of  the  most  prominent  business  enterprises  of  Tucson 


Txicson,    Arizona 


A  PLEASANT  ROAD  NEAR  TUCSON. 

it    will    be    at   once   apparent   that   it   is   characterized    by   activity   and 
prosperity. 

There  are  two  national  banks  having1  deposits  aggregating  a  million  and 
a  quarter  of  dollars  ;  three  building  and  loan  associations  (one  of  them 
being  on  record  as  the  most  successful  in  the  United  States)  which  loaned 
$175,000  in  1901  ;  two  daily  newspapers  receiving  the  Associated  Press 
dispatches  ;  a  complete  local  and  long  distance  telephone  service  ;  two 
modern  ice  works  ;  the  same  number  of  excellent  and  complete  flouring 


Low  WATER  IN  THE  SANTA  CKU/,  RIVKK. 


Tucson,    .Arizona  9 

mills ;  a  number  of  hotels,  one  the  new  Williard,  opened  September  1,  1902, 
and  another  one,  a  modern  and  elegant  building-  to  cost  $100,000,  now  in 
course  of  erection  and  soon  to  be  opened. 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  well  kept  and  cleaned,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course,  the  sidewalks  are  laid  in  cement. 

In  speaking-  in  a  comprehensive  way  of  the  business  features  of  Tucson, 
the  legal  maxim  that  the  mention  of  certain  things  is  the  exclusion  of 
others  does  not  apply.  The  reader  should  rather  bear  in  mind  that  deep 
saying,  peculiarly  applicable  to  a  cattle  country,  to  which  Jay  Gould  set 
the  seal  of  his  approval,  that  "  the  tail  goes  with  the  hide."  It  will  be  un- 
derstood, therefore,  that  the  butcher  and  baker  and  candlestick  maker,  to- 
gether with  other  industries  of  minor  character,  are  present  in  full  force 
and  effect,  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  growth  of  the  city  has  been  such  as  to  attract  attention,  and  busi- 


Two  OF  TUCSON'S  CHURCHES. 

ness  men  have  not  been  slow  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities. 
The  pursuit  of  the  almighty  dollar  has  been  attended  with  success.  All 
classes  of  business  have  done  well.  From  the  merchant  to  the  day  laborer, 
everyone  willing  to  work  has  prospered  financially. 

What  stronger  evidence  could  be  given  of  the  enterprise  and  stability 
of  the  city  than  the  fact  that  there  is  now  being  installed  by  one  of  the 
banks  a  complete  and  strictly  first-class  safe  deposit  vault,  or  of  its  ac- 
tivity than  the  fact  that  the  regulation  of  the  speed  of  automobiles  on  the 
streets  is  agitated  in  the  public  press  ? 

The  intelligent  reader  cannot  have  failed  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
Tucson  is  not  simply  a  "promising"  place.  That  stage  has  long  since 
been-passed,  and  it  is  now  a  well-ordered,  prosperous  and  permanent  com- 
mercial center,  destined  to  be  steadily  carried  ahead  by  the  same  causes 


10 


Txicson,    Arizona 


that  have  made  it  what  it  is. 
There  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  its  full  growth  has  been 
reached  or  approximated. 

Passing  from  a  "  bread  and 
butter  "  consideration  of  the 
place,  Tucson  presents  all  the 
features  of  life  without  which 
mere  commercial  success 
would  be  inadequate.  The 
Territory  has  always  followed 
a  large  and  liberal  educational 
policy  both  as  to  public  schools 
and  higher  institutions  of 
learning,  and  Tucson  may  con- 
fidently present  her  schools  as 
being  up  to  the  highest  attain- 
able standard.  Even  in  the 
comparatively  early  day,  many 
years  ago,  the  public  school 
building  was  the  largest  and  most  expensive  in  the  place,  and  the  new 
schoolhouses  erected  in  the  past  two  years  are,  like  all  the  late  improve- 
ments of  the  city,  designed  and  finished  in  accord  with  modern  scientific 
requirements.  The  public  schools  are  judiciously  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  city  and  are,  in  fact,  of  peculiar  excellence  and  models  of  what 
such  buildings  should  be. 

An  academy  and  a  parochial  school  are  maintained  by  the  Roman  Catho- 


A  COUPLE  OF  TUCSON  BANKS. 


Txicson,    Arizona 


11 


PIMA  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE. 

lie  authorities,  who  also  conduct  an  Orphan's  Home.  An  Indian  indus- 
trial training-  school  and  farm  have  for  many  years  been  successfully 
managed  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions. 

The  chief  feature  of  the  educational  system  of  the  Territory  is  the  Uni- 
versity of  Arizona,  situated  at  Tucson.  It  is  located  on  a  campus  of  40 
acres,  commanding-  at  once  a  full  view  of  the  grand  mountain  ranges  and 
also  of  the  city.  Its  equipment  comprises  extensive  buildings  and  all 


TUCSON  CITY  HALL. 


12 


Txzcson,    Arizona 


necessary  apparatus,  and  its  courses  of  study  are  varied  and  such  as  to 
meet  the  needs  of  any  student.  The  mining-  course  is  planned  with  special 
reference  to  the  need  of  the  mining-  engineer  in  Arizona  or  Mexico. 

The  faculty  is  a  strong-  one,  consisting-  of  twenty  members,  including 
graduates  of  all  the  leading  universities.  The  equipment  of  the  shops 
and  laboratories  is  modern  and  complete,  and  the  credentials  of  the  univer- 
sity are  accepted  in  place  of  examinations  at  all  the  leading  universities 
and  colleges.  It  is  in  all  respects  the  equal  of  similar  institutions  in  other 
Territories  or  States. 

Tucson  affords  the  means  of  gratifying  social,  literary,  religious  and 
other  needs.  The  various  secret  orders  and  benevolent  societies  have  35 
lodges.  A  large,  new  opera  house  affords  a  suitable  place  for  theatrical 
and  other  entertainment.  The  Carnegie  library  is  a  beautiful,  well-con- 
structed building  fully  supplied  with  books,  and  conducted  by  the  city  ac- 


A  TUCSON  HOME. 

cording  to  the  methods  which  have  received  the  approval  of  library  ex- 
perts. The  Elks  have  a  large  brick  clubhouse  of  their  own,  the  finest  of 
its  kind  in  the  Territory,  furnished  with  the  most  artistic  equipment  pos- 
sible to  be  secured. 

The  religious  denominations  are  represented  by  Baptist,  Congregational, 
Northern  Methodist,  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  churches.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral  is  the  largest  in  the  Territory. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  matchless  climate  of  Tucson.  The 
greater  part  of  the  southwest,  including  western  Texas,  New  Mexico, 
northern  Sonora  and  Arizona,  is  a  vast  natural  sanitarium,  but  among  the 
many  excellent  resorts  in  this  district,  each  having  some  features  of  merit, 
none  surpasses  Tucson.  The  word-artists  have  exhausted  their  skill  in  de- 
lineations of  western  life,  and  so  many  pen  pictures  have  been  drawn  of 
the  mountains,  the  clouds,  the  skies  and  the  sunsets,  that  the  reading  pub- 
lic is  familiar  with  such  descriptions.  But,  after  all  is  said  and  written, 


TYPES  OF  TUCSON  RESIDENCES. 


14 


Tucson,    Arizona 


the  fact  is  that  descriptions  fall  short.  The  reality  surpasses  the  most  am- 
bitious portrayal.  The  charm  of  the  \vestern  air  and  life  is  too  elusive  to 
be  captured  by  words,  and  the  blue  of  the  sky,  the  purple  haze  of  the 
mountains,  the  softness  and  kindness  and  peacefulness  of  the  air,  and  the 
glories  of  dawn  and  sunset,  remain  indescribable. 

A  very  experienced  traveler  and  impartial  observer,  Hon.  Whitelaw 
Reid,  wrote  of  Arizona  as  follows  : 

"  During-  a  five  months'  residence  in  southern  Arizona  in  winter  there 
was  but  one  day  when  the  weather  made  it  actually  unpleasant  for  me  to 
take  exercise  in  the  open  air  at  some  time  or  other  during-  the  day.  Of  course, 
there  were  a  g-ood  many  days  which  a  weather  observer  would  describe  as 
'  cloudy  '  and  some  that  were  '  showery  '  ;  but  during-  the  five  months  (from 
November,  1895,  to  May,  1896)  there  were  only  four  days  when  we  did  not 
have  brilliant  sunshine  at  some  time  during  the  day.  Even  more  than 
Egypt,  anywhere  north  of  Luxor,  Arizona  is  the  land  of  sunshine. 


A  NEW  SANITARIUM  AT  TUCSON. 

"  The  nights  throughout  the  winter  are  apt  to  be  cool  enough  for  wood 
fires  and  blankets.  Half  the  time  an  overcoat  is  not  needed  during  the  day, 
but  it  is  never  prudent  for  a  stranger  to  be  without  one  at  hand. 

"  The  atmosphere  is  singularly  clear,  tonic  and  dry.  I  have  never  seen 
it  clearer  anywhere  in  the  world.  It  seems  to  have  about  the  same  brac- 
ing and  exhilarating  qualities  as  the  air  of  the  great  Sahara  in  northern 
Africa  or  of  the  desert  about  Mt.  Sinai." 

The  late  Senator  John  J.  Ingalls  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  the  "  winter 
weather  of  Tucson  is  certainly  incomparable."  It  is  believed  that  the 
place  possesses  a  combination  of  all  the  features  which  medical  science 
has  pronounced  beneficial  for  ailments  of  the  respiratory  tract.  The 
mountain  ranges  around  the  city  inclose  a  vast  amphitheater  and  mini- 
mize storms  and  sudden  changes  of  temperature.  The  altitude  is  a  mod- 
erate one,  2400  feet,  giving  rarity  to  the  air  without  the  dangers  attending 
a  greater  height.  The  city  is  situated  on  a  dry  table  land,  with  a  minimum 
of  humidity  in  the  atmosphere.  The  days  are  bright  and  open,  with  the 
life-giving  rays  of  the  sun  streaming  down  unchecked  by  clouds  or  fogs, 
and  the  beauty  of  the  nights  is  not  marred  by  dews.  Almost  every  one 
sleeps  out  of  doors  during  the  summer  months,  and  many  persons  follow  this 


Tucson,    .Arizona 


15 


Ax  ORCHARD  IN  THE  SANTA  CRUZ  VALLEY. 

practice  the  year  around.  The  forces  of  the  system  are  not  used  up  in 
fighting-  against  cold  and  chill,  but  are  reserved  for  building  up  the  im- 
paired tissues,  and  the  dr}r  and  balmy  air  helps  not  only  by  enabling  in- 
valids to  keep  out  of  doors,  but  also,  as  it  is  thought,  exerts  a  positive  cura- 
tive effect. 

For  these  reasons  the  fame  of  Tucson's  climate  for  lung  sufferers  has 
been  steadily  growing.  Threatened  or  incipient  cases  of  tuberculosis  may 
confidently  hope  for  improvement,  but  persons  with  cases  far  advanced 


GARDEN  AND  ORCHARD  NEAR  TUCSON. 


16 


Txicson,    Arizona 


THE  ELKS  CLUB,  TUCSON. 

will  not  be  benefited  here  or  elsewhere,  and  it  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged 
that  such  persons  should  not  come. 

In  common  with  all  resorts  for  pulmonary  invalids,  Tucson  is  awake  to 
the  necessity  of  making  reasonable  regulations  to  prevent  the  danger  from 
infection  from  consumptives.  The  belief  is  prevalent  that  the  disease  may 
be  communicated  from  one  to  another,  and  for  the  protection  both  of  the 
invalids  themselves  and  of  our  own  citizens  strict  compliance  with  sanitary 
regulations  is  imperative. 

The  Sisters  of  Mercy  conduct  a  new  hospital  exclusively  for  persons  suf- 
fering from  lung  troubles,  and  another  large  and  completely  appointed 
sanatorium  is  expected  to  be  opened  by  winter. 


